


It’s Never Just Easy....

by Legendary5



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Ambush, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Mentions of Drowning, OC bad guys - Freeform, Zombies Make!, drowning trigger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25742896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Legendary5/pseuds/Legendary5
Summary: Five knew what it was like to drown.An escort mission is not what it seems, and Abel’s best runners are caught up in it.
Kudos: 5





	It’s Never Just Easy....

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a late addition for the Zombies, Make! Prompt Challenge by Puptart on Tumblr.

It’s Never Just Easy…..

Five knew what it was like to drown.

She had been 15 years old when an old wooden diving raft her cousins had been using one summer day had flipped over on top of her head. She had fought against the surface of the raft, her fingernails digging against the water and the raft’s rough plastic turf, her head repeatedly hitting the wooden raft, and her lungs burning from the lack of oxygen. Her eyes had been shut, and all she had seen was blackness.

She had been underwater for maybe a minute before she was able to get out from under the tipped raft and fill her lungs again. By then, her entire family had gathered at the edge of the lakeshore, calling her name and asking if she was okay.

It wouldn’t be the last time.

Five thrashed against the person trying to force her head underwater. Her clothes were soaked and heavy, but she didn’t care. Somewhere out of her line of sight, she could hear Jody and Peter shouting as they were held back by other members of this party.

—————

It had been a simple enough mission: Janine had wanted the three of them to meet what sounded like a group of refugees from a territory that had just gone Ministry. The refugees were willing to trade batteries, laptops and other electronics in exchange for safety. They had simply asked for some runners to escort them from the border of Ministry territory into the neutral area of Fort Canton.

“Should be easy enough,” Jody had chimed in as the three runners left Sam’s communication range and made their way to the rendezvous point. “A bit too easy, if you ask me, but maybe I’m just being paranoid.”

“And I thought I was the paranoid one,” Peter remarked in his usual sarcastic tone. “And whatever happened to not saying stuff like that?”

“I have a good feeling about this mission, that’s all.”

It was at that moment that some nearby bushes shook, and a trio on men descended on the three runners. Jody yelped as one tackled her; Five tripped over her and was quickly restrained by a second, and Peter howled in pain as his knees were shot out.

“You goddamn bastards,” he snarled as the shooter picked him up; the man gave him a slap in response. They were all big and burly, they type of men who would have been bodyguards or bouncers before the apocalypse. And they were army, judging by the cameo fatigues they were wearing.

“Shut up! Restrain ‘em and move out!”

The three runners were quickly tied up and then dragged into the bushes, toward the sound of running water. A fourth one was waiting for them, another burly man in fatigues, except where their captors were more brutish, this guy was clearly in a leadership position.

“Look what we’ve got here, boys,” he had crowed as they approached. “Abel’s finest. I’m surprised they would send Runner Five and friends on an escort mission.” The leader got up close to Five and ran a finger down the side of her face; she turned her face away, and her grabbed her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. “We would have been fine with just you, but your friends will help us… keep you in line. The Minister’s been looking for you. Dead or alive. I know Pit Viper wants you dead, but I could be convinced to keep you alive.”

He released her and turned to the other two, no doubt appraising them as well. “Most folks call me The Commander,” he began, walking towards Peter and Jody. “I expect the three of you to do the same, as long as you’re in my company. Until we reach London, you will do everything you are told. My men and I will be in charge of when you eat, sleep, and everything else.” He glanced at Jody before he continued.

“I will not tolerate tomfoolery, and shenanigans will be dealt with… severely.” He eyed Peter as he said this, giving the man a once over. Peter glared, a snarl on his face.

It was at this moment that Five stomped on her captor’s toes to break free, gave him a good kick in the groin, and began to run for the water’s edge.

“Stop her!” The Commander roared; he kicked his own man, adding insult to injury, before he chased Five into the water. He tackled her, but she managed to throw him off, dashing his body against a rock. The Commander ducked a punch from Five, tackling her around the waist and shoving her into the water.

Five’s lungs immediately took on water and burned in her chest, and she thrashed against the Commander’s grip; she reached up with her bound hands and grabbed at his face, slapping at him as hard as she could.

“Five!” Peter and Jody yelled, fighting against their own men. Five’s original captor struggled to his feet and made his way to the river, only to slip and fall, immediately being swept away by the water.

Peter’s captor, believing that the man wouldn’t be able to run, dumped him on the bank as he went to go help the Commander. By now, the noise had attracted a couple of zombies; the shambles in from another part of the forest, baring down on Jody and her captor.

The man screamed and shoved Jody away as he ran away; a third zombie cut him off at the edge of the forest and latched itself to his throat, turning the man’s screams into gurgles. Peter’s man turned toward the shambles and moved forward, pistol raised to fire.

“Five! Five, no! Get off her you Army nutter!” Jody shoved the Commander off Five’s body as gunshots filled the air; his head cracked against a stone and he fell, stunned, his eyes staring blankly as he was swept away by the river.

Five coughed and gasped as Jody hauled her from the water. Both women were soaking wet and shivering as they joined Peter on the banks on the river. The immortal man had managed to get to his feet and untie his hands, leaning on a branch he had picked up from the riverbank.

The zombies had now turned their attention to the last surviving member of the Commander’s group; the man had been shooting at the zombies while Jody had rescued Five, and was now out of bullets. Like his fallen comrade, he screamed as they bit into him and began tearing him apart. Peter pulled a knife from his pocket and cut Five and Jody free.

“I suggest we run before they turn to us, hunker down at Noah Base for the night,” Peter growled as he was supported by Five and Jody into the woods. “And we all agree to never, ever jinx a run with the word ‘easy’ ever again.”


End file.
